Vol. 30 No. 1 (2025)
We are very pleased to publish the first issue of the thirtieth volume of the Coventry Law Journal. This issue contains pieces covering contemporary and controversial legal issues, such as diversity and equality, denial of citizenship, media freedom, AI and copyright law, and the human rights of displaced person. These areas have received intense judicial reasoning and media coverage, allowing academics and students to contribute to those debates.
In particular, this issue of the Journal includes contributions from our students, based on their undergraduate assessments; we wish them all every success in the future as academic writers.
Since the publication of the last issue, we note the retirement of Dr Steve Foster, who taught at the University for 48 years, and who founded the Law Journal in 1996, but who will continue his editorial and writing role for the Journal. Steve has contributed some recent developments for this issue, together with a legal essay covering the regulation of free speech that threatens public and religious morals, and, more recently, equality and diversity policies.
This issue is dedicated to Roger Dowling, a student on our LLB Business Law (Honours) Degree between 1978 and 1981, when we were Lanchester Polytechnic, and who sadly passed away in January 2025. His sister – Sue Dowling, who graduated from the Polytechnic in the 1980’s – informed us of his passing, reminding us that Roger was our first ‘disabled’ student (he suffered from cerebral palsy). Roger was a tremendously committed and popular student, who loved his studies and his time here in Coventry. He went on to enjoy a successful and very happy career for almost 40 years as a legal researcher in a law firm. Those who taught and studied with him will always recall Roger with fondness: a wonderful human being possessing outstanding personal and academic qualities, and a wry and joyous sense of humour and love for life.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue and find something that will interest you. We also look forward to receiving your contributions for future issues. We encourage contributions from students, academic staff and practitioners, and if you wish to contribute to the Journal and want any advice or assistance in being published, then please contact the editors. The next publication date is December 2025, and contributions need to be forwarded to us by early November 2025 at the latest.
The editors: Dr Steve Foster and Dr Stuart MacLennan
